Chordaholic is the pseudonym of San Francisco-based independent singer-songwriter Anoush Khazeni. Believing that a song should have an engaging melody before it can convey the message in the lyrics, Khazeni focuses on creating strong melodic hooks in his songwriting and yet incorporates emotive and meaningful lyrics.
Drawing from a large pool of influences that includes The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Supertramp, Queen, and U2, just to name a few, his style can be described as a mix of classic and alternative rock with some pop sensibilities.
He began work under the name Chordaholic in 1999 when he started releasing self-produced recordings of his original songs from his bedroom studio and offered them online through sites popular with independent musicians at the time such as mp3.com. An electrical engineer by day and a recording musician by night, he continues to record and produce his material at home and nowadays offers them through CDBaby, Amazon, and iTunes.
The following quotes are taken from a review article that appeared on AllAboutJazz.com on April 16, 2009 about his latest album "Somewhere Between Hope & Despair":
"Chordaholic is not a band, but one man: singer/songwriter Anoush Khazeni. Nevertheless, the songs on "Somewhere Between Hope & Despair" have the weight of a group effort, as if Khazeni cloned himself to jam with each doppelganger."
""Like a Melody" is life-affirming soulful pop with a slightly funky backbeat. Khazeni's soft-spoken hooks are a refreshing alternative to the in-your-face bombast of many of today's young artists."
""A Reason and a Rhyme" and "Automatic" are imbued with dreamy tones. Khazeni uses his acoustic guitar to either create atmospheric textures ("A Reason and a Rhyme") or provide the driving rhythm, as on "Out of This World," which is fueled by some spellbinding riff action. This isn't some bland strumming job; there is creativity in Khazeni's selection of chords. "Footprints" begins slowly, but then suddenly bursts with energy, bathing listeners with a shower of warm and lovely vocal harmonies."
The entire review article can be found at the following URL:
http://www.chordaholic.com/Chordaholic/REVIEWS.html
The album is also available to download through iTunes:
http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?id=302118592&s=143441
The following are snippets of some of the reviews received on the song “A Reason and a Rhyme” from random listeners as collected by the online song review process at garageband.com:
"Art, Craft, Science & Magic, search for the middle ground if you will, it is not to be found here. Fantastic song, quietly meandering through its layerings as it progresses to an impressively restrained climax."
-Listener from New South Wales, Australia
"Very catchy. Good hook. Sweetness. I'm lovin' the mood on this."
-Listener from Rocky Mount, Virginia
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